Car hire and driving in Gent
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In Belgium traffic drives on the right. Picking up at BRU means 56 km (35 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648793 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648794.
Drives from Gent
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gent to Brugge | Belgium | 39 km (24 mi) | about 35 min |
| Gent to Anderlecht | Belgium | 48 km (30 mi) | about 44 min |
| Gent to Brussels | Belgium | 50 km (31 mi) | about 45 min |
| Gent to Schaerbeek | Belgium | 50 km (31 mi) | about 46 min |
| Gent to Antwerp | Belgium | 51 km (32 mi) | about 47 min |
| Gent to Lille | France | 66 km (41 mi) | about 1 h |
| Gent to Leuven | Belgium | 71 km (44 mi) | about 1 h 5 min |
| Gent to Charleroi | Belgium | 88 km (54 mi) | about 1 h 20 min |
| Gent to Breda | The Netherlands | 95 km (59 mi) | about 1 h 27 min |
| Gent to Namur | Belgium | 104 km (64 mi) | about 1 h 35 min |
| Gent to Dordrecht | The Netherlands | 107 km (67 mi) | about 1 h 38 min |
| Gent to Rotterdam | The Netherlands | 110 km (69 mi) | about 1 h 41 min |
| Gent to London | United Kingdom | 272 km (169 mi) | about 4 h 9 min |
| Gent to Berlin | Germany | 686 km (426 mi) | about 10 h 28 min |
| Gent to Madrid | Spain | 1,314 km (816 mi) | about 20 h 2 min |
| Gent to Rome | Italy | 1,219 km (757 mi) | about 18 h 35 min |
| Gent to Paris | France | 263 km (163 mi) | about 4 h 1 min |
| Gent to Hamburg | Germany | 509 km (316 mi) | about 7 h 46 min |
| Gent to Minsk | Belarus | 1,638 km (1,018 mi) | about 24 h 59 min |
| Gent to Budapest | Hungary | 1,177 km (731 mi) | about 17 h 57 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Gent?
The right, as everywhere in Belgium.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.